Visualization of stress distribution has been realized by a nondestructive mechanoluminescence (ML) from SrAl2O4:Eu, which can emit three magnitudes higher visible light than that of well-known ML substance of quartz. A simulation result confirms that such a ML image successfully reflects the stress distribution. A kinetic model for ML of SrAl2O4:Eu is proposed.
The idea and successful practice of a stress sensor to sense mechanical stress by an artificial skin, i.e., self-diagnosis thin film, has been realized, through the fabrication of a high-luminescence thin piezoelectric film which can reproducibly emit strong visible light upon stressing. The strongest luminescent film consists of nanosized crystallites of ZnS doped with 1.5 at. % Mn, in which Mn acts as the emitting center. The intensity of the emitted luminescence responds to stress applied directly onto the film or to the underlying material reversibly and reproducibly, so it can be used as an artificial skin to sense mechanical stress.
Mechanoluminescence (ML) is generated during exposures of certain materials to mechanical stimuli. Many solid materials produce ML during their fracturing, however, the irreversibility of fracto-induced ML limits the practical applications of these materials. In 1999, Chao-Nan Xu discovered an intense and reproducible ML from trap-controlled materials, including ZnS:Mn 2+ and SrAl 2 O 4 :Eu 2+ , and introduced the principles and applications of hybrid inorganic/organic mechanoluminescent (ML) composites, and related sensors to visualize stress/strain in target structures. This discovery has triggered intense research interest in trap-controlled ML materials and composites over the past 2 decades. Notable achievements of this research include the development of trap-controlled materials that exhibit bright ML emission from the ultraviolet to the near infra-red, and multiscale mechano-optical sensitivities. This research has also increased our understanding of the mechanisms of ML phenomena, enabling the rational design of trap-controlled ML materials. Practical applications of ML are also being driven by the discovery that ML composites can serve as "mechano-optical sensitive skin" for structural health diagnosis, stress sensors for biomechanics, and mechanically-activated light sources. This review focuses on the design, synthesis, characterization, optimization and application of trap-controlled ML materials, and concludes with discussions on future directions of ML research and specific challenges to improve ML materials for real-world applications.
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